A HUGE crowd from five states ensured the Michael family, Leachim Poll Merino stud, Snowtown, posted a new seasonal high for the 2015 SA ram selling season.
On Tuesday last week they notched up a total clearance of 200 rams to a lofty $17,000 high and $2715 average - up more than $600 on 2014.
There was a real buzz of excitement in the sale shed and this converted to very active bidding from 73 registered bidders from lot one to 200.
While the top was less than half of Leahcim's on-property auction record of $38,000 in 2012, and the average was $274 under their previous highest average of $2988 (in 2011 for 200 rams), consistent strong competition pushed it to an SA seasonal high average.
Nearly 70 per cent of the offering sold between $1500 and $3500.
Australian Wool Network clients from three states were extremely strong in their support, buying 70 rams for clients.
These included Will Lynch, Boorana Merinos, Woorndoo, Vic, who bid via phone hook-up with AWN South East territory manager Rob Williams, to secure Leahcim 142699 - the $17,000 sale topper.
Mr Lynch had followed the ram's progress since seeing him on display at Hamilton Sheepvention, Vic, last month.
At 16 months the ram stood out for phenotype and genotype with the balance of his high accuracy figures from Sheep Genetics exceptional. He had a post-weaning weight of +6.6 and yearling weight of +8.4, fat of +0.5 and eye muscle of +0.9 but his stand out measured data was a yearling clean fleece weight of +25 and +24 for yearling staple length.
A group of repeat buyers from the Goulbourn region, NSW, had a huge impact on the sale. These 11 accounts bought 64 rams, or 32 per cent of the offering.
Landmark officiated with auctioneers Gordon Wood and Richard Miller.
